To try and explain my rant..... greyhounds.....

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This is the BOB winner at Crufts this year....

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This is my top winning racing greyhound......

How could ANYONE think they are the same breed?!
 
Apart from the lack of muscle on the show dog it is his hindlegs that get me. Surely a running dog should be 'poised power' like your dog?
 
When I showed the top photo to my husband and asked him to guess the breed he said Rhodesian Ridgeback x Greyhound!
 
Someone's going to have to point out the obvious to me, sorry...

Me too, initially I thought the first was a young dog before training and the second an older dog. I know nothing about Greyhounds, other than my mum had one for 6 years in Lucy's retirement. She was retired from racing and looked more like the second one.

Lovely nature.
 
Apart from the lack of muscle on the show dog it is his hindlegs that get me. Surely a running dog should be 'poised power' like your dog?

i am not good at dog conformation but my eyes were drawn to the hind legs of the show dog-doesn`t look useful ??
 
I wouldn't've recognised that as a greyhound if not for the titile ;p .l... I've actually never seen a show greyhound - only ex racing ones - though.
But think about springer spaniels; the working dogs don't look anything like the show ones do they? The show dogs are taller and finer with much longer legs which aren't set fully under it either but the workers are smaller and cobbier/chunkier/sturdier looking (Is that the right word? :confused: )
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But whilst we're on the subject can we talk about the pug in the toy class?! :eek:
I think the main question you have to ask yourself with criticising show ring standards is, will it cause the animal pain? I don't know enough about dog confo to say if the show greyhound will develop issues?
But tbh don't like this whole perverting breeds so much from their original purpose/look for the sake of show ring aesthetics either...but think quality of life has to take priority, so long as the animal isn't suffering to a certain extent it doesn't bother me too much, if that makes sense? :-/
 
I don't know much about Greyhounds to be honest but I much prefer the "look" of the dog in the second photo.... lean, muscular & alert.
 
I know nothing about showing but the show dogs hind end is like the German Sheperd's sloping back end that there was so much controvesy about and doesn't look natural. Is it totally wrong that at an initial glance I thought the first dog was called Bob? I thought it was nice he didn't have a long, fancy name and then the penny dropped! Duh!!
 
Lev's dog is smart - the Crufts dog looks like a biomechanic disaster from Frankenstein's laboratory...
 
I wouldn't've recognised that as a greyhound if not for the titile ;p .l... I've actually never seen a show greyhound - only ex racing ones - though.
But think about springer spaniels; the working dogs don't look anything like the show ones do they? The show dogs are taller and finer with much longer legs which aren't set fully under it either but the workers are smaller and cobbier/chunkier/sturdier looking (Is that the right word? :confused: )
oIPTu9B.jpg

But whilst we're on the subject can we talk about the pug in the toy class?! :eek:
I think the main question you have to ask yourself with criticising show ring standards is, will it cause the animal pain? I don't know enough about dog confo to say if the show greyhound will develop issues?
But tbh don't like this whole perverting breeds so much from their original purpose/look for the sake of show ring aesthetics either...but think quality of life has to take priority, so long as the animal isn't suffering to a certain extent it doesn't bother me too much, if that makes sense? :-/

I like show springers, except they look like setters!
 
Wow, never seen a show greyhound before and not impressed. It's back legs look so weak, and it is seriously overweight!
A great excuse for another of Lev's pics though :-)
 
Sorry I've been on Mother's Day duty all day :) As others have said, the thing I found really 'wrong' with the show greyhound was the sloping topline and the weak hind legs, it really couldn't do any job at all really.

I understand that this is the same with a lot of working/show dogs, for some reason I found this greyhound particularly intolerable lol - yes it is 'stacked' for the show ring in that picture so it is an exaggerated pose, but it's movement for me on TV was appalling.

And I will 'fess up and say that is Hoover literally straight out of training, he looks a lot softer condition now (although not much fatter!) at 11 years old :)
 
I was watching the hounds on TV. I had to shout my husband through when the greyhound came on as I didn't recognise it in comparison with our pair.

Lacks the curved top line I'd expect of a greyhound.
 
It is quite a bug bear of mine about worknig breeds when they have "show" types cause frankly if its not fit for work, whats the point of showing it? Id much rather see one in working condition.
 
Ironically the Siberian huskies have taken a bashing from overseas this year (as they often do when they have a breed specialist judge) for being too workmanlike and not disneyfied-show-dog enough.
 
...and before anyone says it, I am indeed a massive hypocrite for having shown a show type cocker. I do however easily acknowledge that he'd be no less a cocker with shorter ears and a less profuse coat. He makes a better pet for his owner than a working type would, in terms of exercise and temperament, and for that I am grateful.
 
Can we not? People who breed these things would be on a fast track to hell in my world order.

*giggles*
No. Just give them a face like they give their dogs. Isn't that hell anyway?
Plus that pig looked overweight, so why on earth was it called up? Surely that's encouraging fat dogs! :(
 
It is quite a bug bear of mine about worknig breeds when they have "show" types cause frankly if its not fit for work, whats the point of showing it? Id much rather see one in working condition.

That Labrador tonight was the fattest dog I’ve seen. Would probably eat my lab
 
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